Abstract:
The Indian Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site is home to 2.79 million people distributed
over approximately 1100 villages, with 62 situated on the fringes of the forest. Majority of the
population live in acute poverty with marginal living conditions. Majority of the population depends
on agriculture for its livelihood which offers limited livelihood potential for communities due to
higher sodic salinity levels which is accentuated by sea level rise and sea water intrusion and
contamination of unconfined aquifers and agricultural lands. In recent times with increased crop
demand, ground water demand has also risen as the limited rainfall fails to meet year round fresh
water demand in the region. As a result, ground water abstraction has become a regular practice,
over abstraction often leads to severe water crisis during summer in the region.
In this context this pump priming project was conceptualized jointly with National Institute of
Hydrology (NIH), British Geological Survey (BGS) and Rajarhat PRASARI to understand the
aquifer system in the Sundarbans, by identifying the practicality of artificial aquifer recharge, and its
potential contribution to aquifer sustainability and possible role in regional water security.
The key aims of the pilot project were –
i) To generate a conceptualized model of artificial recharge with the community,
ii)Understanding communities fresh water demand/need for agriculture and
iii)Current problems with ground water abstraction from the fresh water aquifers.
